The 60-day comment period on proposed rules banning 27 types of chemicals commonly used for flavored tobacco products closed Monday last week and received more than 12,000 submissions.

The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare proposed on March 22 to ban additives in tobacco products that produce flavors such as flowers, fruits, chocolate and menthol, but implementation was postponed after receiving widespread criticism.

The rules aimed to reduce tobacco initiation among adolescents and young adults, the HPA said, citing studies suggesting that adolescents perceive flavored tobacco products as more attractive and less harmful than unflavored tobacco products. However, nicotine is highly addictive and its exposure can harm adolescent brain development.

The HPA survey in 2021 showed that 40% of adolescent smokers in Taiwan use flavored tobacco.

On August 8, the HPA proposed banning 27 types of additives, which could remove about half of flavored cigarettes from the market. They include vanillin, maltol, ethylmaltol, benzaldehyde, menthol and heliotropin, which are commonly used for flavors such as vanilla, mint, chocolate, caramel and floral.

The proposed rules would be promulgated after comments are discussed and finalized, and would take effect 18 months after promulgation. The manufacture, importation, display and sale of tobacco products containing banned substances would be subject to fines if the rules come into force.

An alliance of 206 groups has again called for a blanket ban on all tobacco flavoring additives and faster implementation.

The alliance questioned why the ministry was not following the EU, US and other countries in banning “all” flavors, and some expressed concerns that tobacco companies could use other chemicals to create new flavors, which would force the government to continually search for the newest products. to forbid.

The EU adopted the European Tobacco Products Directive in 2014, which prohibits the sale of cigarettes and roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco products with characteristic flavors from May 20, 2016. After a transition period of four years for flavors containing more than With a market share of 3%, the ban on all flavored cigarettes and RYO tobaccos came into effect in May 2020, followed by a ban on flavored heated tobacco products in October of last year.

The United States also passed a law in October 2009 banning cigarettes with flavors other than menthol or tobacco, and in June last year it proposed ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars .

However, some expressed displeasure over the limitation of smokers’ flavor choices, while others said that since some of the banned chemicals are also used in unflavored cigarettes, this would be a major blow to consumers. domestic companies that export flavored cigarettes or a ban would lead to a thriving black market.

Given the considerable number of comments received by the department, both in favor and in opposition, as well as concerns about the actual effects of the proposed rules, it is clear that it needs to better communicate with the public.

The ministry is expected to explain why the 27 chemicals were specifically chosen and allay concerns that they might encompass too many or too few flavored or unflavored tobacco products. It should also demonstrate the feasibility of implementation, for example by demonstrating that the ministry has the capacity to test chemicals when inspecting tobacco products in the market. Additionally, the issue could be included by the Committee for Promoting Healthy Taiwan in inter-ministerial discussions to balance the health and economic impacts of the bans. If the ministry fears that an immediate blanket ban, as proposed by anti-smoking groups, could trigger a backlash from the tobacco industry or smokers, it could also propose gradual transition phases.